by Pausanias
[2] Ὁμήρου δὲ ἐν τοῖς ἔπεσιν Ὑπερησία ὠνόμασται: τὸ δὲ ὄνομα τὸ νῦν ἐγένετο Ἰώνων ἐποικούντων, ἐγένετο δὲ ἐπ᾽ αἰτίᾳ τοιᾷδε. Σικυωνίων ἀφίξεσθαι στρατὸς ἔμελλεν αὐτοῖς πολέμιος ἐς τὴν γῆν: οἱ δὲ — οὐ γὰρ ἐδόκουν ἀξιόμαχοι τοῖς Σικυωνίοις εἶναι — ἀθροίζουσιν αἶγας, ὁπόσαι σφίσιν ἦσαν ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ, συλλέξαντες δὲ ἔδησαν πρὸς τοῖς κέρασιν αὐτῶν δᾷδας, καὶ ὡς πρόσω νυκτὸς ἦν, ἐξάπτουσι τὰς δᾷδας.
[26.2] Homer in his poem calls the city Hyperesia. Its present name was given it while the Ionians were still dwelling there, and the reason for the name was as follows. A hostile army of Sicyonians was about to invade their territory. As they thought themselves no match for the Sicyonians, they collected all the goats they had in the country, and gathering them together they tied torches to their horns, and when the night was far advanced they set the torches alight.
[3] Σικυώνιοι δὲ — ἰέναι γὰρ συμμάχους τοῖς Ὑπερησιεῦσιν ἤλπιζον καὶ εἶναι τὴν φλόγα καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἐπικουρικοῦ πυρός — οἱ μὲν οἴκαδε ἐπανήρχοντο, Ὑπερησιεῖς δὲ τῇ τε πόλει τὸ ὄνομα τὸ νῦν μετέθεντο ἀπὸ τῶν αἰγῶν, καὶ καθότι αὐτῶν ἡ καλλίστη καὶ ἡγουμένη τῶν ἄλλων ὤκλασεν, Ἀρτέμιδος Ἀγροτέρας ἐποιήσαντο ἱερόν, τὸ σόφισμα ἐς τοὺς Σικυωνίους οὐκ ἄνευ τῆς Ἀρτέμιδός σφισιν ἐπελθεῖν νομίζοντες.
[26.3] The Sicyonians, suspecting that allies were coming to the help of the Hyperesians, and that the flames came from their fires, set off home again. The Hyperesians gave their city its present name of Aegeira from the goats (aiges), and where the most beautiful goat, which led the others, crouched, they built a sanctuary of Artemis the Huntress, believing that the trick against the Sicyonians was an inspiration of Artemis.
[4] οὐ μὴν καὶ αὐτίκα γε ἐξενίκησεν Αἴγειραν ἀντὶ Ὑπερησίας καλεῖσθαι, ἐπεὶ κατ᾽ ἐμὲ ἦσαν ἔτι οἳ Ὠρεὸν τὴν ἐν Εὐβοίᾳ τῷ ὀνόματι Ἑστίαιαν ἐκάλουν τῷ ἀρχαίῳ. παρείχετο δὲ ἡ Αἴγειρα ἐς συγγραφὴν ἱερὸν Διὸς καὶ ἄγαλμα καθήμενον λίθου τοῦ Πεντελησίου, Ἀθηναίου δὲ ἔργον Εὐκλείδου. ἐν τούτῳ τῷ ἱερῷ καὶ Ἀθηνᾶς ἄγαλμα ἕστηκε: πρόσωπόν τε καὶ ἄκραι χεῖρες ἐλέφαντος καὶ οἱ πόδες, τὸ δὲ ἄλλο ξόανον χρυσῷ τε ἐπιπολῆς διηνθισμένον ἐστὶ καὶ φαρμάκοις.
[26.4] The name Aegeira, however, did not supersede Hyperesia at once, just as even in my time there were still some who called Oreus in Euboea by its ancient name of Hestiaea. The sights of Aegeira worth recording include a sanctuary of Zeus with a sitting image of Pentelic marble, the work of Eucleides the Athenian. In this sanctuary there also stands an image of Athena. The face, hands and feet are of ivory, the rest is of wood, with ornamentation of gilt work and of colors.
[5] Ἀρτέμιδός τε ναὸς καὶ ἄγαλμα τέχνης τῆς ἐφ᾽ ἡμῶν: ἱερᾶται δὲ παρθένος, ἔστ᾽ ἂν ἐς ὥραν ἀφίκηται γάμου. ἕστηκε δὲ καὶ ἄγαλμα ἐνταῦθα ἀρχαῖον, Ἰφιγένεια ἡ Ἀγαμέμνονος, ὡς οἱ Αἰγειρᾶταί φασιν: εἰ δὲ ἀληθῆ λέγουσιν οὗτοι, δῆλός ἐστιν ἐξ ἀρχῆς Ἰφιγενείᾳ ποιηθεὶς ὁ ναός.
[26.5] There is also a temple of Artemis, with an image of the modern style of workmanship. The priestess is a maiden, who holds office until she reaches the age to marry. There stands here too an ancient image, which the folk of Aegeira say is Iphigeneia, the daughter of Agamemnon. If they are correct, it is plain that the temple must have been built originally for Iphigeneia.
[6] ἔστι καὶ Ἀπόλλωνος ἱερὸν ἐς τὰ μάλιστα ἀρχαῖον τό τε ἱερὸν αὐτὸ καὶ ὁπόσα ἐν τοῖς ἀετοῖς, ἀρχαῖον δὲ καὶ τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ ξόανον, γυμνός, μεγέθει μέγας: τὸν ποιήσαντα δὲ εἶχεν οὐδεὶς τῶν ἐπιχωρίων εἰπεῖν: ὅστις δὲ ἤδη τὸν Ἡρακλέα τὸν ἐν Σικυῶνι ἐθεάσατο, τεκμαίροιτο ἂν καὶ ἐν Αἰγείρᾳ τὸν Ἀπόλλωνα ἔργον εἶναι τοῦ αὐτοῦ Φλιασίου Λαφάους.
[26.6] There is also a sanctuary of Apollo; the sanctuary itself, with the sculptures on the pediments, are very old; the wooden image of the god also is old, the figure being nude and of colossal size. None of the inhabitants could give the name of the artist, but anyone who has already seen the Heracles at Sicyon would be led to conjecture that the Apollo in Aegeira was also a work of the same artist, Laphaes the Phliasian.
[7] Ἀσκληπιοῦ δὲ ἀγάλματα ὀρθά ἐστιν ἐν ναῷ καὶ Σαράπιδος ἑτέρωθι καὶ Ἴσιδος, λίθου καὶ ταῦτα Πεντελησίου. τὴν δὲ Οὐρανίαν σέβουσι μὲν τὰ μάλιστα, ἐσελθεῖν δὲ ἐς τὸ ἱερὸν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνθρώποις. θεοῦ δὲ ἣν Συρίαν ἐπονομάζουσιν, ἐς ταύτης τὸ ἱερὸν ἐσίασιν ἐν ἡμέραις ῥηταῖς, ἄλλα τε ὅσα νομίζουσι προκαθαριεύσαντες καὶ ἐς τὴν δίαιταν.
[26.7] There are in a temple standing images of Asclepius, and elsewhere images of Serapis and of Isis, these too being of Pentelic marble. They worship most devoutly the Heavenly Goddess, but human beings must not enter her sanctuary. But into the sanctuary of the goddess they surname Syrian they enter on stated days, but they must submit beforehand to certain customary purifications, especially in the matter of diet.
[8] οἶδα καὶ οἴκημα ἐν Αἰγείρᾳ θεασάμενος: ἄγαλμα ἦν ἐν τῷ οἰκήματι Τύχης, τὸ κέρας φέρουσα τὸ Ἀμαλθείας: παρὰ δὲ αὐτὴν Ἔρως πτερὰ ἔχων ἐστίν, ἐθέλει δὲ σημαίνειν ὅτι ἀνθρώποις καὶ τὰ ἐς ἔρωτα τύχῃ μᾶλλον ἢ ὑπὸ κάλλους κατορθοῦται. ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν Πινδάρου τά τε ἄλλα πείθομαι τῇ ᾠδῇ καὶ Μοιρῶν τε εἶναι μίαν τὴν Τύχην καὶ ὑπὲρ τὰς ἀδελφάς τι ἰσχύειν:
[26.8] I remember observing at Aegeira a building in which was an image of Fortune carrying the horn of Amaltheia. By her side is a winged Love, the moral of which is that even success in love depends for mankind on fortune rather than on beauty. Now I am in general agreement with Pindar’s ode, and especially with his making Fortune one of the Fates, and more powerful than her sisters.
[9] ἐν Αἰγείρᾳ δὲ ἐν τούτῳ τῷ οἰκήματι ἀνήρ τε ἤδη γέρων ἴσα καὶ ὀδυρόμενος καὶ γυναῖκες αἱ τρεῖς ἀφαιρούμεναι ψέλιά εἰσι καὶ ἴσοι νεανίσκοι ταῖς γυναιξί, καὶ ὁ ἐνδεδυκὼς δὲ θώρακα εἷς. τοῦτόν φασιν Ἀχαιοῖς γενομένου πολέμου μαχεσάμενον ἀνδρειότατα Αἰγειρατῶν τελευτῆσαι, καὶ αὐτοῦ τὸν θάνατον οἱ λοιποὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν οἴκαδε ἀπήγγειλαν: καὶ τοῦδε ἕνεκα αἵ τε ἀδελφαὶ διὰ τὸ ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ πένθος ἀποκοσμο�
�νται καὶ τὸν πατέρα ἐπονομάζουσιν οἱ ἐπιχώριοι Συμπαθῆ, ἅτε ἐλεεινὸν καὶ ἐν τῇ εἰκόνι.
[26.9] In this building at Aegeira is also an old man in the attitude of a mourner, three women taking off their bracelets, and likewise three lads, with a man wearing a breastplate. They say that in a war of the Achaeans this last man fought more bravely than any other soldier of Aegeira, but was killed. His surviving brothers carried home the news of his death, and therefore in mourning for him his sisters are discarding their ornaments, and the natives call the father Sympathes, because even in the statue he is a piteous figure.
PHELLOE
[10] ὁδὸς δὲ ἐξ Αἰγείρας εὐθεῖα ἀπὸ τοῦ ἱεροῦ τοῦ Διὸς διά τε ὀρῶν καὶ ἀνάντης ἐστί: μῆκος μὲν οὖν τῆς ὁδοῦ τεσσαράκοντά εἰσι στάδιοι, ἄγει δὲ ἐς Φελλόην, πόλισμα οὐκ ἐπιφανές, †οὐδὲ ὡς ἀεὶ ᾠκεῖτο καὶ Ἰώνων ἔτι ἐχόντων τὴν γῆν. τὰ δὲ περὶ τὴν Φελλόην ἐς φυτείαν ἀμπέλων ἐστὶν ἐπιτήδεια: καὶ ὅσα πετρώδη τῆς χώρας, δρῦς τέ εἰσι καὶ θηρία, ἔλαφοι καὶ ὗς ἄγριοι:
[26.10] There is a straight road from the sanctuary of Zeus at Aegeira, passing through the mountains and steep. It is forty stades long, and leads to Phelloe, an obscure town, which was not always inhabited even when the Ionians still occupied the land. The district round Phelloe is well suited for the growth of the vine; the rocky parts are covered with oaks, the home of deer and wild boars.
[11] εἰ δέ τινα τῶν ἐν Ἕλλησι πολισματίων ἀφθόνῳ καταρρεῖται τῷ ὕδατι, ἀριθμεῖν καὶ τὴν Φελλόην ἔστιν ἐν τούτοις. θεῶν δὲ ἱερὰ Διονύσου καὶ Ἀρτέμιδός ἐστιν: ἡ μὲν χαλκοῦ πεποίηται, βέλος δὲ ἐκ φαρέτρας λαμβάνουσα: τῷ Διονύσῳ δὲ ὑπὸ κινναβάρεως τὸ ἄγαλμά ἐστιν ἐπηνθισμένον. ἐς δὲ τὸ ἐπίνειον καταβᾶσιν ἐξ Αἰγείρας καὶ αὖθις ἐς τὰ πρόσω βαδίζουσιν ἔστιν ἐν δεξιᾷ τῆς ὁδοῦ τὸ ἱερὸν τῆς Ἀγροτέρας, ἔνθα τὴν αἶγα ὀκλάσαι λέγουσιν.
[26.11] You may reckon Phelloe one of the towns in Greece best supplied with flowing water. There are sanctuaries of Dionysus and of Artemis. The goddess is of bronze, and is taking an arrow from her quiver. The image of Dionysus is painted with vermilion. On going down from Aegeira to the port, and walking on again, we see on the right of the road the sanctuary of the Huntress, where they say the goat crouched.
PELLENE
[12] τῆς δὲ Αἰγειρατῶν ἔχονται Πελληνεῖς: πρὸς Σικυῶνος δὲ οὗτοι καὶ μοίρας τῆς Ἀργολίδος Ἀχαιῶν οἰκοῦσιν ἔσχατοι. τὸ δὲ ὄνομα ἐγένετο τῇ πόλει λόγῳ μὲν τῷ Πελληνέων ἀπὸ Πάλλαντος, τῶν Τιτάνων δὲ καὶ Πάλλαντα εἶναι λέγουσι, δόξῃ δὲ τῇ Ἀργείων ἀπὸ ἀνδρὸς Ἀργείου Πέλληνος: Φόρβαντος δὲ εἶναι τοῦ Τριόπα παῖδα αὐτὸν λέγουσιν.
[26.12] The territory of Aegeira is bounded by that of Pellene, which is the last city of Achaia in the direction of Sicyon and the Argolid. The city got its name, according to the account of the Pellenians, from Pallas, who was, they say, one of the Titans, but the Argives think it was from Pellen, an Argive. And they say that he was the son of Phorbas, the son of Triopas.
[13] Αἰγείρας δὲ ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ καὶ Πελλήνης πόλισμα ὑπήκοον Σικυωνίων Δονοῦσσα καλουμένη ἐγένετο μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν Σικυωνίων ἀνάστατος, μνημονεύειν δὲ καὶ Ὅμηρον ἐν καταλόγῳ τῶν σὺν Ἀγαμέμνονί φασιν αὐτῆς ποιήσαντα ἔπος”οἵ θ᾽ Ὑπερησίην τε καὶ αἰπεινὴν Δονόεσσαν:
“Hom. Il 2.573Πεισίστρατον δέ, ἡνίκα ἔπη τὰ Ὁμήρου διεσπασμένα τε καὶ ἄλλα ἀλλαχοῦ μνημονευόμενα ἤθροιζε, τότε αὐτὸν Πεισίστρατον ἢ τῶν τινα ἑταίρων μεταποιῆσαι τὸ ὄνομα ὑπὸ ἀγνοίας.
[26.13] Between Aegeira and Pellene once stood a town, subject to the Sicyonians and called Donussa, which was laid waste by the Sicyonians;it is mentioned, they say, in a verse of Homer that occurs in the list of those who accompanied Agamemnon:–
And the men of Hyperesia and those of steep Donoessa. Hom. Il. 2.573
They go on to say that when Peisistratus collected the poems of Homer, which were scattered and handed down by tradition, some in one place and some in another, then either he or one of his colleagues perverted the name through ignorance.
[14] ἔστι δὲ Ἀριστοναῦται Πελληνεῦσιν ἐπίνειον. ἐς τοῦτο ἐξ Αἰγείρας τῆς ἐπὶ θαλάσσῃ σταδίων ἐστὶν εἴκοσιν ὁδὸς καὶ ἑκατόν: ταύτης δὲ ἡμίσεια ἐς Πελλήνην ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐπινείου. ὄνομα δὲ Ἀριστοναύτας γενέσθαι τῷ ἐπινείῳ λέγουσιν, ὅτι καὶ ἐς τοῦτον τὸν λιμένα ὡρμίσαντο οἱ πλεύσαντες ἐπὶ τῆς Ἀργοῦς.
[26.14] The port of Pellene is Aristonautae. Its distance from Aegeira on the sea is one hundred and twenty stades, and to Pellene from this port is half that distance. They say that the name of Aristonautae was given to that port because it was one of the habors into which the Argonauts entered.
27. Πελληνεῦσι δὲ ἡ πόλις ἐστὶν ἐπὶ λόφου κατὰ ἄκραν τὴν κορυφὴν ἐς ὀξὺ ἀνεστηκότος. τοῦτο μὲν δὴ ἀπότομον καὶ δι᾽ αὐτό ἐστιν ἀοίκητον: τῷ δὲ χθαμαλωτέρῳ πεπόλισταί σφισιν οὐ συνεχὴς ἡ πόλις, ἐς δὲ μοίρας νενεμημένη δύο ὑπὸ τῆς ἄκρας μεταξὺ ἀνεχούσης. ἰόντων δὲ ἐς Πελλήνην ἄγαλμά ἐστιν Ἑρμοῦ κατὰ τὴν ὁδόν, ἐπίκλησιν μὲν Δόλιος, εὐχὰς δὲ ἀνθρώπων ἕτοιμος τελέσαι: σχῆμα δὲ αὐτῷ τετράγωνον, γένειά τε ἔχει καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ κεφαλῇ πῖλον εἰργασμένον.
[27.1] XXVII. The city of Pellene is on a hill which rises to a sharp peak at its summit. This part then is precipitous, and therefore uninhabited, but on the lower slopes they have built their city, which is not continuous, but divided into two parts by the peak that rises up between. As you go to Pellene there is, by the roadside, an image of Hermes, who, in spite of his surname of Crafty, is ready to fulfill the prayers of men. He is of square shape and bearded, and on his head is carved a cap.
[2] κατὰ δὲ τὴν ὁδὸν ἐς αὐτὴν τὴν πόλιν ἐστὶν Ἀθηνᾶς λίθου μὲν ἐπιχωρίου ναός, ἐλέφαντος δὲ τὸ ἄγαλμα καὶ χρυσοῦ: Φειδίαν δὲ εἶναι τὸν εἰργασμένον φασὶ πρότερον ἔτι ἢ ἐν τῇ ἀκροπόλει τε αὐτὸν τῇ Ἀθηναίων καὶ ἐν Πλαταιαῖς ποιῆσαι τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς τὰ ἀγάλματα. λέγουσι δὲ οἱ Πελληνεῖς καὶ ἄδυτον τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς καθήκειν ἐς βάθος τῆς γῆς, εἶναι δὲ τὸ ἄδυτον τοῦτο ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀγάλματος τῷ βάθρῳ, καὶ τὸν ἀέρα ἐκ τοῦ ἀδύτου νότιόν τε εἶναι καὶ δι᾽ αὐτὸ τῷ ἐλέφαντι ἐπιτήδειο�
�.
[27.2] On the way to the city, close up to it, is a temple of Athena, built of local stone, but the image is of ivory and gold. They say that Pheidias made it before he made the images of Athena on the Athenian acropolis and at Plataea. The people of Pellene also say that a shrine of Athena sinks deep into the ground, that this shrine is under the pedestal of the image, and that the air from the shrine is damp, and consequently good for the ivory.
[3] ὑπὲρ δὲ τὸν ναὸν τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς ἐστιν ἄλσος περιῳκοδομημένον τείχει Σωτείρας ἐπίκλησιν Ἀρτέμιδος, καὶ ὀμνύουσιν ἐπὶ μεγίστοις αὐτήν: ἔσοδός τε πλὴν τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ἄλλῳ γε οὐδενὶ ἔστιν ἀνθρώπων. ἱερεῖς δὲ ἄνδρες τῶν ἐπιχωρίων εἰσὶ κατὰ δόξαν γένους μάλιστα αἱρούμενοι. τοῦ δὲ ἄλσους τῆς Σωτείρας ἱερὸν ἀπαντικρὺ Διονύσου Λαμπτῆρός ἐστιν ἐπίκλησιν: τούτῳ καὶ Λαμπτήρια ἑορτὴν ἄγουσι, καὶ δᾷδάς τε ἐς τὸ ἱερὸν κομίζουσιν ἐν νυκτὶ καὶ οἴνου κρατῆρας ἱστᾶσιν ἀνὰ τὴν πόλιν πᾶσαν.
[27.3] Above the temple of Athena is a grove, surrounded by a wall, of Artemis surnamed Saviour, by whom they swear their most solemn oaths. No man may enter the grove except the priests. These priests are natives, chosen chiefly because of their high birth. Opposite the grove of the Saviour is a sanctuary of Dionysus surnamed Torch. In his honor they celebrate a festival called the Feast of Torches, when they bring by night firebrands into the sanctuary, and set up bowls of wine throughout the whole city.